Wisconsin, like many other states, had been using ballot drop boxes for almost 40 years. They dramatically became more popular in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. However, Felon Trump made them part of his Big Lie and blamed them as being the reason he lost instead of the simple fact that he is piece of shit. Wisconsin Republicans, being good little foot soldiers of the Turd Reich, took action to end their use, going so far as arguing that there was no such thing as a disabled voter. The corrupt conservative state supreme court went along with it and ruled that drop boxes were suddenly illegal because there was no law specifically allowing them.
Earlier this year, the new and improved Wisconsin Supreme Court - now with more justice - revisited the matter. On Friday, they issued their ruling approving the return of the use of ballot drop boxes for the August primaries and November general election. The decision was 4-3, along ideological lines.
The majority opinion and dissent show the relative mindsets very clearly:
The majority opinion’s author, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, wrote that the new decision “does not force or require that any municipal clerks use drop boxes. It merely acknowledges what [the statute] has always meant: that clerks may lawfully utilize secure drop boxes in an exercise of their statutorily-conferred discretion.”
Conservatives on the court slammed the decision as an attempt for liberals to advance a political agenda. Justice Rebecca Bradley, writing in a dissent for the three conservative justices, compared the Friday decision to the court’s December 2023 decision to overturn the state’s legislative maps.
“The majority ends the term by loosening the legislature’s regulations governing the privilege of absentee voting in the hopes of tipping the scales in future elections,” Bradley wrote.
While the majority was interested in democracy and freedom, the conservatives were only interested in holding onto power. And would someone please tell Becky Bradley that her constant whining every time the court makes a decision that she doesn't like is getting so very tiresome. It's time for her to pull up her big girl undies and just start doing what she is supposed to do, uphold the constitution.
Republican lawmakers were not any better, with idiots like Representative Tom Tiffany going straight back to the Big Lie:
Disability Rights Wisconsin, who advocates for people with disabilities, keeps it all in the proper perspective that while this was a big, good thing, there is still more work that needs to be done:
Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) welcomes today’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling overturning the previous ban on the use of drop boxes for the return of absentee ballots in Wisconsin. Today’s decision is especially important for voters with disabilities since they are more likely to rely on absentee voting to cast their ballots than the general public. In fact, for some voters with disabilities, voting absentee is their only option to cast a ballot. While the ability to cast an absentee ballot helps alleviate many barriers for voters with disabilities, other barriers such as transportation and availability of an assistor to return an absentee ballot continue to limit their power to return a completed absentee ballot to the clerk’s office in a trusted and timely manner. The reinstatement of the municipal clerks’ capacity to allow access to drop boxes will help these voters have an equal opportunity to return their ballot in a manner that is safe and secure by providing greater accessibility to them and those who may be assisting them.
Logically, no other decision could be reached. People are allowed to put ballots in public mailboxes, so why not a secure drop box? And as one of those disabled voters that the Republicans don't think exist, I am extremely thankful that I can once again exercise my right without experiencing days of pain during and afterwards.
